


Share Time

by Aaerial15



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-27
Updated: 2020-01-27
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:27:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22433377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aaerial15/pseuds/Aaerial15
Summary: An alternate ending to S4's Living Conditions. Kathy succeeds in stealing Buffy's soul. Will her friends be able to fix it when they have no idea where the Slayer is?
Kudos: 2





	1. What's Yours is Mine

**Share Time  
**

**A Buffy the Vampire Slayer fanfic  
**

_Author's note: I do not own the characters in this story, just the situations involved. All characters are the property of Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy. That being said, enjoy!  
_

**Ch.1 What's yours is mine  
**

Buffy Summers strode through UC Sunnydale with a purpose. She was on a mission as she entered Stevenson Hall. She couldn't understand why her friends turned on her. Giles didn't even check her bag, where she had collected her roommate's still growing toe nails. She'd left Oz and Xander unconscious in her wake. That would teach them to tie her up. She opened the door to her room and went straight to business. "I think we need to talk," she said as she eyed Kathy.

"Absolutely. Let's talk," came the sarcastic reply. Buffy kicked the rug, causing the corner to fold. "Oops, look what I did." Kathy backhanded the slayer, taking Buffy by surprise. "Oops, look what I did," she mocked. The fight was on. The two girls briefly grappled before Buffy clawed at her opponent's face. To her surprise, it peeled right off, revealing an orange face similar to what she'd been seeing in her nightmares lately. "I knew it!" she exclaimed. In her moment of triumph, she forgot she was in a fight.

Kathy tackled her to the ground and pinned her. She firmly grabbed the Slayer's throat. "Quit it," she yelled with all the tone of a spoiled child. Buffy was not amused. "I knew you were one of those demon things!" Buffy yelled in return. Kathy just smirked. "Just stuff it and let me finish my ritual." Buffy immediately had reason to get very worried.

"Ritual?" she questioned. Kathy didn't let her up as she tried to explain. "It's the ritual of Mok'tagar. I had to force you to drink animal blood." Buffy got angrier as she realized what this meant. "So my nightmares were real," she stated. "Look, I'm sorry, ok," Kathy continued. "I fled my dimension to go to college and they sent these guys after me." Buffy struggled, but she was only at half strength. "My kind are recognized for not having a soul." She tried to make it sound like it was no big deal. "So I'm borrowing yours," she said.

"Without even asking," the Slayer replied with annoyance. "When they come looking for me, they'll take the one without a soul." Buffy scoffed. "Well, at least I won't have to see you floss anymore." With that she leaned forward, giving her the leverage she needed to throw Kathy off of her. "And I won't have to live with a slob," Kathy retorted as the fight proceeded to knock down drag out. Buffy tried to hold her own, but Kathy was wiping the floor with her. It had to be because of her diminished soul.

Her opponent countered a punch and threw her through the closet. "It's share time, Buffy," she said in a sing-song voice. Buffy looked for anything she could use as a weapon, and she found the perfect thing. "Fine, we can start with my sweater," she replied as she wrapped it around her opponent's neck. Kathy struggled briefly, then threw her off. Meanwhile in Giles' apartment, Oz and Xander were coming to. "Why couldn't Giles have shackles like any self respecting bachelor?" Xander asked as he stumbled to his feet.

At that moment, Giles and Willow burst in. "I thought you said you had her?" Willow said with an edge of fear in her voice. Xander held up the broken rope in explanation. "We've gotta find her. She's a danger to herself and others right now," Giles said sternly. Willow went for the phone. "I'll call Kathy and tell her to get out of there," she said as she dialed.

The fight was not going well for the Slayer. "All you had to do was write down your calls!" Each word was emphasised by Kathy smacking her opponent with the phone. She had already ripped it out of the wall, so it didn't even ring. As Buffy continued to be tossed around like a rag doll, she bumped into Kathy's desk. She knocked over a jar of pencils and started stomping, infuriating Kathy.

It gave her a momentary advantage as she blocked a few punches and landed a few of her own blows. Kathy took back the advantage by slamming Buffy into the door to their room with enough force to knock one of the numbers on the outside loose. They didn't even hear someone ask them to keep it down as the fight continued. Buffy was thrown halfway through her window. She tried to crawl out the rest of the way, but Kathy would have none of it. She bodily pulled her quarry back into the room and threw her against her own bed.

Buffy was winded, and Kathy pressed the advantage. She roughly grabbed Buffy's face and forced her mouth open. "Open up, let me finish!" she angrily demanded. Buffy couldn't fight back anymore. Kathy had her mouth open and a light went out of Buffy's mouth and into Kathy's. It worked. Kathy could feel Buffy's soul inside her. She pretended to be scared when her father, Taparrich entered the room. he eyed the girls, and focused on the blonde. "Do you have any idea how much trouble you're in?" he demanded in his native language.

Buffy looked at him as if she were a young child. "You're big," she said in a childlike manner. The demon was not amused. "You're coming home," he said in Common tongue. It infuriated him to have to speak it. He opened a vortex in the middle of the room, and payed no attention to Kathy staying as far from it as possible. "Ok," Buffy said as she went through. Kathy had a small feeling of regret. She'd make everything right as soon as she graduated. Until then, she had to come up with a convincing lie to those pesky friends of hers.


	2. Taken

**Ch.2 Taken**

Kathy smiled to herself. Her father didn't even glance in her direction when he came to take Buffy. She went to her suitcase, and retrieved a replacement face mask. She had just put it on as she heard a knock on her door. She looked out the peephole. "Just a minute," she said. She made her voice sound broken. She whipped up some fake tears before opening the door. "Is Buffy-" Willow cut herself off as she took in the scene before her.

"Oh my goddess," Willow said. She took in the aftermath of Kathy's fight with the Slayer. "I came by after class and the whole place was trashed," Kathy explained. She had tears in her eyes. "Was Buffy always this crazy?" she asked. The room was trashed. She noticed the upside down two on the door, but she figured it was just shoddy craftsmanship. She was now reevaluating that theory. Someone had been busy. "I don't-" Willow stammered. She had to get to Giles. He would know what to do.

Buffy found herself in a desert-like place. There wasn't a tree for miles. Taparrich appeared behind her. "Follow, child," he commanded. Buffy was surprisingly jovial. "Ok," she said. She practically skipped behind the much larger demon as they headed towards his home. "There's a lot of sand here," she commented as they reached a cluster of tents. "Be silent," Taparrich ordered. One of the demons spoke to him in his native language as they approached. "Did you find her?" he questioned. Taparrich nodded.

"Yes, I found Sheria," he answered. Buffy looked to the big demon. "Is Sheria my name?" she questioned. He became angry. "You know your name, daughter!" he bellowed. She took that as a yes. "And you had better start speaking our language in my presence," he continued. Buffy became afraid. "But, father, I don't know it," Buffy whined. Taparrich was confused. His daughter had only been among humans for two months. Had she just forgotten everything? He gestured to one of the others. "Krath will re-teach you Mok'Tagar," he ordered. Buffy nodded her head in submission.

Giles shook his head as he spoke on the phone. "Willow, I can't understand you when you're frantic." Willow took a moment to compose herself. "You say the entire room was trashed?" Giles asked. Xander began to get scared. "Ok, come back to my apartment and we'll proceed from there." Willow hung up the payphone and started towards Giles'. In her haste, she ran headlong into Spike.

"Watch where you're going, Red!" he barked in annoyance. Willow got frightened as she realized who she was talking to. "Relax," he said, as if reading her mind. "I'm not hungry right now," he said with a laugh. "Ahh, good, well-" she stammered. Spike cut her off. "Is there something you're trying to ask?" he questioned. Willow eased up slightly. "Have you by any chance seen Buffy?" she asked.

Spike laughed. "Why on earth would I be looking for her?" he questioned. Willow shrugged. "Never mind then," she said as she took off. It was probably best if he didn't know. He might take advantage and finally kill her. Spike stared briefly as she ran away. "I don't even wanna know," he said as he dusted himself off and retrieved what he was carrying.

As she entered, she noticed Giles reading intently. "What's up?" she asked. "I fear we may have made a mistake," he said. Willow took a seat. "Not funny, G-man," Xander said as he pressed an ice pack to his head. Giles ignored him. "I think Buffy may have been right," he said. "Officially not funny," Oz said. Giles decided to explain. "I've been reading about a race of demons called Mok'Tagar. They can take many disguises but are always recognized by their own kind by the absence of a soul." Willow began to get worried.

"There is a ritual that they can use to take the soul of another being," he continued. "Wait, the reason Buffy's been going crazy on us is because someone is stealing her soul?" Xander asked. His tone was suddenly serious. "Oh my god," Willow said sadly. "Later on, big remorse." Giles continued, "The ritual involves ingesting animal blood while the victim sleeps." Oz shook his head. "So Buffy's nightmares were real."

Willow began to get frantic. "Well, I was just at the college and she was nowhere to be found. You think Kathy succeeded?" she asked. Giles nodded his head. "I fear she may have. We've got to find Buffy, and get Kathy to give her her soul back." Willow nodded. "Oz and I will get Kathy," she said. Oz nodded as they both headed for the door. "That leaves Xander and I to find a spell to restore Buffy's soul." Xander nodded. "Willow, be careful. Kathy probably won't help willingly." Willow nodded, and with that she left.


	3. Finding Kathy

**Ch.3 Finding Kathy  
**

Oz had never seen Willow move so fast in his life. Her face bore a look of determination that was unstoppable. He could barely keep up with her as they made their way to UC Sunnydale. "Slow down, Will," he said. She didn't even look back. She was a woman on a mission. Oz was almost having to sprint to keep up with her. He almost felt sorry for Kathy. Willow did not appear to be in a reasoning mood. She marched right into Stevenson Hall and banged on Buffy's door.

"Kathy, we need to talk!" she yelled. Getting no answer, she began gesturing. "When you feel your path is blocked, all you have to do is knock." Oz laughed. "Nice rhyme," he said. Willow shook her head. "It's a spell." She knocked on the door again, and it opened. The room was still trashed. "Holy wow," Oz said as he entered. He'd never seen this kind of destruction. Willow eyed a suitcase. She opened it and saw no less than four identical face masks. She also saw things that clearly weren't human in origin. "What are we dealing with, here?" she asked.

The girl in question had just entered the dorm to see her door wide open and Willow and Oz snooping around. "How'd they find out?" she asked silently. Unfortunately not quietly enough, as Oz heard her. He turned to see her heading in the opposite direction. "Will, it's Kathy," he warned. Willow abandoned the suitcase to give chase. Oz had never seen her move so fast. Kathy turned to see Willow chasing her and bolted. The chase went on for a while, until Kathy hit a dead end. She turned to face Willow.

"You're not human," Willow said angrily. "How'd you find out?" Kathy questioned. Willow shrugged. "It's what we do. Now I'm gonna ask you nicely. Give my friend her soul back." Kathy laughed. "And if I don't?" There was a hint of sarcasm in her voice. Oz rushed her, only to be backhanded into unconsciousness. "Care to try?" she asked. Willow's face hardened. "Don't mind if I do." Kathy rushed her, only to be tripped by Willow. She had no training, but she was fighting on pure anger. Kathy quickly got to her feet and grabbed Willow by the throat.

"Look, let's just stop this. I really don't want to have to kill you." Willow struggled in her grip. "We'll stop you, you know," she replied. Kathy shrugged. "Have it your way, then." She threw Willow into a tree, knocking her out. She was about to dispose of Willow and Oz as she got shoved from behind. "You have something that doesn't belong to you." She turned to face her attacker, a look of annoyance on her face. Just how many friends did this girl have?

"Are you a friend of Buffy's?" she asked as they circled. Spike laughed at the notion. "Not exactly. I happened to detect her essence and was thinking about killing her. Unfortunately, you aren't her." Kathy was confused. "Why do you even care, then?" she asked. "If I'm gonna kill the Slayer, I'm gonna do it fairly. That means you need to give her her soul back."

She gestured to Willow and Oz, who were still out. "They already tried. What makes you think you'll succeed?" With that, she punched Spike in the face. She was surprised when he shrugged off her blow and vamped out. "I've been meaning to get some exercise," he said darkly. She swung again and missed. Willow was coming to, and she saw Kathy and Spike trading blows. "You're a little sloppy," Spike remarked. "I'm supposed to believe you beat the Slayer?" In response, she kicked Spike below the belt.

He groaned in pain, but didn't go down. "Now that, I take personally," he said. As Kathy went to hit him again, Willow tripped her up. Kathy was sent reeling into an incoming punch from Spike. She went down for the count. Spike pulled Willow to her feet. "I take it you have business with her," he said. Willow was surprised. "Can you help get her to Giles?" she asked. Spike shrugged. "Why not, I'm sure Buffy will find a way to repay me later." Oz was just coming to as they turned to leave. Willow helped him to his feet. "She's stronger than she looks," he commented.

"Drah o' mir," Buffy repeated. Krath smiled. His pupil was a quick study. "Very good, Sheria," he praised. If she continued at this rate, she'd be fluent again in no time. Anything to make her father not want him dead was fine with him. He gestured to the scroll in front of Buffy. "Erachnar kravis," she pronounced. It meant something like "Welcome to my home."

Giles was hesitant to invite Spike in, but he had Kathy, so there wasn't a lot of choice in the matter. "Come in, Spike," he said. Spike set her down and Xander proceeded to chain her up. "Now you bring out the chains," he said in half annoyed, half jokingly. You couldn't blame him. He still had a hell of a headache from Buffy knocking him out. "Did you find a spell?" Willow asked. Giles nodded. "I have just the one. Willow and I will perform it at once. Now all we need is Buffy herself." Willow and Xander exchanged worried looks. They hadn't thought about finding Buffy until now.


	4. The Wrong ONE

**Ch.4 The Wrong One  
**

"Draco lac hrathis, Tapparich." The large demon became very concerned. He was just informed that his daughter would not shed her human disguise. He grunted in annoyance, and went looking for his daughter. He found her in one of the tents, studying up on Mok'Tagar. "What is the meaning of this?" he demanded in his own language. He knew she was fluent enough to carry on a conversation. "What do you mean, Father?" she questioned. She didn't remember doing anything wrong.

No, she'd been nothing but obedient since she got here. He raised his hand, demanding silence. "I've been told you won't remove your disguise. Is this true, daughter?" The anger in his tone demanded an immediate answer from his charge. She shook her head in fear. "I don't know what you mean," she said, her voice shaky. He wasn't buying it. "You know our customs, Sheria. As long as you are human, you disgrace our clan." She was still confused, but she listened as he continued. "Have you not thought what could happen if a rival clan saw the high elder's daughter running around in human form?" he questioned.

Buffy shook her head. She had no understanding of Mok'Tagar politics. As it happened, she had been in a child-like state ever since Kathy had stolen her soul. She had the comprehension ability of a three year old, and the attention span of a five year old. There was no way she was going to grasp such matters, but the demon didn't know that. Up until this point, Buffy was in a monkey see, monkey do type of understanding. She had viewed her current surroundings with a kind of enchantment. At the same time, there was something telling her she didn't belong here. She just couldn't put her finger on it.

By now, Tapparich's yelling had attracted a crowd. Among the observers was Krath, her teacher of the language. "Show your true form, daughter," her father demanded. She had never been more confused. "What do you mean, Father?" she asked, her voice slightly more fearful. He slammed his hand down on a table. "You know very well what I mean!" he roared. She backed herself into a corner as he advanced. There was nowhere to go. She hadn't been afraid since she got here, but that changed in the blink of an eye.

The demon reached down and tugged on Buffy's face. He was expecting a mask to come off, exposing her Mok'Tagar form. He was surprised when he couldn't do it. In fact, all he seemed to be doing was causing the girl pain. He stopped, revealing a slight cut on her forehead from one of his nails. He turned to his subjects. "What is the meaning of this?" he demanded angrily. Krath stepped forward. "With all due respect, milord, I think it's possible we have the wrong person." Every demon in the gathering was quiet as Tapparich considered this.

Tapparich could not figure out how that could be possible. The girl had no soul, a clear sign that she was Mok'Tagar. And their language was too complicated for a mere human to grasp with such clarity as Buffy had. Krath continued. "There is a ritual I know of that allows one of our kind to steal the soul of another being." It was only then that Tapparich realized he'd been played. He remembered seeing another girl in the room, who had a Mok'Tagar's face. He'd dismissed her, having detected a soul. If he had not been so furious with his daughter's disobedience, he might have been proud of her. "Open a portal to the human world," he commanded.

Kathy came to in Giles' apartment. She tried to rise, only to realize that she could not move. "Where am I?" she asked. Willow glared at her. "How could you do that to Buffy?" she demanded angrily. Kathy shook her head. "I'm sorry, ok. I fled my dimension to go to college. Mok'Tagar aren't allowed to go to the human world." Willow approached her, an angry look on her face. "So what, you figured you'd steal someone's soul?" Kathy shook her head no. "That wasn't the plan at first."

Willow cooled down slightly. "What changed?" she asked. She was still mad as hell that someone would do this to her best friend. "I thought I'd escaped unnoticed. Then, a few nights before I met Buffy, I ran into some of my kind. I managed to get away, but I knew it wouldn't last." Willow almost felt sorry for her. She herself had a great appreciation for academics, having been on the honor roll throughout high school.

"I really didn't want to do that to Buffy," she continued. "But it was necessary." That one remark made Willow lose any sympathy she might have had. Xander had been silent witness to the conversation, and moved to stop Willow from doing anything rash. His concern was unneeded. Willow had no intention of killing her. They still had to get Buffy's soul out of her. "Oh good, then you understand." As much as Kathy hated to admit it she did. She'd have to face her father sooner or later.

She chose later. "I won't go back," she stated. Willow really didn't care, as long as Buffy got her soul back. "That's your problem," she retorted. Kathy dropped all pretense. "I'm gonna get free, and then you're all gonna die." There was a certain darkness to her tone. Spike walked in to the room as she said this. "Oh, good. I could use round two," he said with a laugh. Kathy struggled in her chains, to no avail.


	5. Restoration

**Ch.5 Restoration**

Buffy winced as she went through the portal. Taparrich had seen reason; Buffy was not Sheria. They appeared where they started: in Buffy's dorm room. It was still trashed from the fight. Contrary to his appearance, he was not a cruel demon. That set him apart from most other Mok'Tagar, who were. His was an extremely xenophobic race, to the point that most other clans would have no problem committing genocide on other species. Luckily, they were content to stay in their own realm for the most part. Outsiders were dealt with swiftly, however. This was the reasoning behind Taparrich getting Buffy out of his realm his first priority.

If the Slayer were at full power, she could easily handle a few raiders. As she was, she'd stand no chance. The Mok'Tagar knew of the Slayer. Most would jump at the chance to rid themselves of this constant pest, however brief it may last. The demon briefly wandered around the room, before noticing Kathy's suitcase. As he got closer to it, he could pick up several essences. He focused on the one he'd detected the last time he was here, when he'd taken Buffy.

Taparrich moved with inhuman speed. Buffy was the only one able to keep up with him. He followed the trail to the grove where Kathy had fought Spike. His followers took a moment to catch their breath. The only one who didn't appear to be winded was Buffy, though she couldn't put her finger on the reason why. He circled the area for a brief moment. "This way," he said as he continued. His party followed him without question. Buffy was ahead of the pack. She was beginning to return to herself.

As Kathy struggled in her bonds, Giles and Willow set about lighting candles. Giles read from a spell book. "Hear me, Elders of the Upper Reaches, Elders of the Lower Reaches." He circled her as he spoke. "Elders of the Dry Land, Elders of the River Flats." A bright light encircled Kathy. She tried to shrink away from it, but being chained, it wasn't happening. Willow couldn't help but smile at Kathy's fear of the situation.

"Ancients, I beseech you. The soul, abstracted. Let it revert to it's true seat." The light seemed to enter Kathy's body. "NO!" she screamed. Kathy shimmered ever so briefly as Giles continued. "Let it be finished. Let the unnatural vessel be emptied, let the essence return to it's original host." With that, the light exited her, and seemed to leave Giles' front door. "We must move quickly," he said. It was apparent that wherever the light was going was where Buffy was. As it happened, following it was unnecessary. As Giles got his coat, his door was jerked open. Before him stood Taparrich. But his attention was on someone else next to him.

Buffy had returned to her true self. She eyed Kathy with a death glare. "There you are," Taparrich said in his native language. Only Buffy could understand him, as strangely, she remembered the Mok'Tagar language lessons that she'd received. He ripped the chains off of her. "Do you have any idea how much trouble you are in?" he questioned. The girl remained silent, but sent him a defiant glare. "You're coming home," he said. His tone left no room for debate. Kathy jumped off the table and stomped her feet. "I'm not going back!" she screamed. Her tone had all the brattiness of a child.

After all the grief she'd put him through, Taparrich was in no mood for this. "Don't take that tone with me!" he bellowed. "I'm 3000 years old. When are you going to stop treating me like I'm 900?" she protested. Taparrich began opening a portal, but was stopped by Buffy tapping him on the shoulder. "Um, Taparrich, can I have a quick word with Sheria before you leave?" she asked. No less than four jaws hit the floor. Giles couldn't believe that his slayer appeared to speak the demon's language perfectly. He wanted to know how this was accomplished, as he'd tried teaching her demonic language several times. She'd blown him off every time.

Taparrich couldn't think of a better punishment. His daughter had not been taught of the Slayer, and she was about to learn by experience. "Be my guest, Slayer," he replied with a gesture. Kathy was stunned. "Slayer?" she asked fearfully. Buffy gave the demon a look as if to say, "Don't worry, I won't kill her," before turning to face the girl. She cracked her knuckles in anticipation. She remembered everything about the demon world she'd been to. Her skin was still dry from the harsh desert-like climate. Someone was about to pay for that. You just didn't mess with Buffy in these areas.

With a crack of her neck she looked straight at Kathy. "You up for round two?"


	6. The Ethics of Soul Stealing

**Ch.6 The Ethics of Soul Stealing**

_"You up for round two?"_ The two girls began circling one another. Buffy never took her eyes off Kathy, or Sheria, as she was known in her home dimension. "You know, it'll take me hours to wash all this sand out of my hair," Buffy said. Willow and Xander cringed in fear at hearing this. Whenever a demon affected Buffy's sense of fashion and style in a negative way, it never ended well. Kathy tried to maintain a brave face. After all, the last time they fought, she'd come out on top. Inwardly, she was beyond scared. She quickly came to the conclusion that Slayer was just another word for killer.

"I said I was sorry," she stammered. Buffy laughed. "Not yet, but you will be," she replied. With that, she swung a right hand and caught Kathy squarely in the jaw. The strength and speed of the blow caused her to back flip. The demon got up and began swinging wildly at Buffy. For the most part, Buffy parried, blocked or otherwise avoided the blows as though it was child's play. Willow in particular was enjoying herself. Kathy finally connected with a left. The Slayer didn't even register the blow.

The room got deathly quiet. "My turn," Buffy said after the briefest of pauses. Kathy swung again, and Buffy caught her arm. Applying a perfect wrist lock, she twisted her opponent's arm backward. Kathy screamed in pain. Buffy continued to apply pressure, and soon Kathy's left shoulder was dislocated. "And do you even know how long I'm going to have to spend in the bath tub expholiating?" she asked. Maintaining her hold on the limb, she flipped Kathy on her back. "And oh yeah, you ruined my sweater," she continued angrily.

Xander cowered as he witnessed the beating that Buffy was dishing out. "Note to self," he said to Willow, a slight tinge of fear in his voice. "Never, ever steal Buffy's soul and send her to a demon dimension." Willow nodded. "Agreed," she replied. Buffy had released Kathy, who now cradled her dislocated shoulder. She attempted a series of kicks. The Slayer ducked one, and then got her hands on a leg. Wasting no time, she swept Kathy's balancing leg and applied an ankle lock.

Kathy screamed in pain from the hold. "And if I may suggest getting some new music!" she yelled as she bent Kathy's ankle backwards. Hours upon hours of listening to Cher's Believe came back to haunt Kathy. Willow had remembered Buffy complaining that Kathy listened to nothing but love songs. "Oh, wow," she commented as she watched the fight. Kathy rolled forward, escaping the hold, but now she was hobbling. Buffy connected with a series of punches and kicks, pointing out a character flaw with each blow. "This is for the pencil sharpening, and the labeled eggs, and your stupid phone logging idea." Her frustrations boiled over. Finishing with a punch to the temple, she said, "Log this!"

She finished beating on Kathy. "And for future reference, I prefer that you ask before you go borrowing my soul," the Slayer said with an edge of annoyance in her tone. She nodded to Taparrich, who created a portal back to his home world. In a flash of light, Kathy and her father vanished. Xander was speechless. "That was awesome," he said as he began clapping. "I, for one, was deeply moved." Giles was glad that the fight did not damage his apartment. He smiled as his slayer exchanged high-fives with her friends.

In all the excitement, everyone forgot Spike was there. "Don't I get anything?" he asked expectantly. Buffy eyed him suspiciously. "For what?" she questioned. Spike shrugged his shoulders. "You know, if it wasn't for me, you'd never have got your soul back. She was about to finish your precious red, and her wolf-boy too." He paused. "I feel I deserve a reward," he said. Buffy considered it. "You're right, Spike," she said. His eyes lit up, he didn't think that would work. "I accept cash," he replied. Buffy shook her head. "I'll tell you what, Spike." Her tone suddenly got dark. "You get out of my sight now, and I won't dust your ass later!" Spike needed no further warning. The look on her face told him she wasn't kidding. "Right, then," he said as he took his leave.

A few day's later, and Willow was Buffy's new roommate. It was a refreshing change from where she'd been before. Now that Willow wasn't dealing with 24 hour partying, she could actually get some studying done. She was waiting for Buffy's input as she adjusted a Dingoes poster. "A little to the left," Buffy said. Willow made the adjustment, then stood back to admire her handiwork. "Look, Buffy, I'm really sorry about not believing you." Buffy shook her head. "You are completely forgiven," she said.

She turned her back for the briefest moment. "Are you gonna finish this?" Willow asked. She took a bite out of Buffy's sandwich. The Slayer's eyes narrowed dangerously.

**The End**


End file.
